College of Medicine think tank tackles rural health disparities
It was a true meeting of the minds last week when an interdisciplinary group of Penn State College of Medicine faculty came together and shared different ideas to accomplish one collective goal: reduce health disparities in rural communities.
Dubbed “Pitch Fest,” the think tank was assembled by Karen Kim, MD, MS, College dean, who has made bridging the gap in health equity in rural communities a major component of her strategic goals as dean.
Presenters focused on strategies to overcome the health care barriers that these rural populations commonly face – including lack of access and lack of trust – by leaning on the capabilities offered through mobile health, artificial intelligence, telehealth and other emerging technologies.
The think tank ideas were bolstered by the work that the College of Medicine is already doing to address health disparities, including the launch of the Center for Advancing Health Equity in Rural and Underserved Communities (CAHE-RUC) and the continued efforts of the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute and LION Mobile Clinic.
Learn more about the College’s commitment to rural health in these clips from our “Science in 60 Seconds” video series:
- Closing the gap of disparities in health care
- Training the next generation of physicians prepared to care for rural communities
- Penn State CTSI works with community partners to better rural health care
- Vending machine brings free health resources to people in Harrisburg and Reading, Pa.
- Launching a partnership-based center in Hershey, Pa., to address health disparities
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